International Cat Nonprofit Weighs In On Cat Colony In Manassas

MANASSAS, VA — An apartment management company is standing firm on barring a cat rescue's access to a feral cat colony in the Manassas area. That comes despite international nonprofit Alley Cat Rescue advocating on behalf of Manassas-based Purrty Pawz Rescue.

Patch had first reported that Westgate Apartments, managed by the Caton Companies' Management Services Corporation, restricted access to Purrty Pawz Rescue volunteers who had been feeding the cats and trapping them to facilitate adoptions.

The rescue initially was allowed to come on property to care for the cats and trap some for adoption for several years, but that policy had changed this year. A spokesperson for the Caton Companies cited liability issues with the rescue volunteers trespassing on site as well as rodent concerns from leaving food out for cats. The rescue's executive director Stacey Swan said it had found a new location for all the cats if volunteers were allowed to come on site.

A Prince William County Animal Services previously told Patch there were no violations happening at the cite requiring action.

Now, Alley Cat Rescue founder Louise Holton wrote to the Caton Companies leadership expressing concerns. Holton were key to bringing the trap-neuter-return method to national attention in the 1990s. Holton said the decision to bar Purrty Pawz Rescue from feeding or relocating the cats could have "dire consequences" like suffering and death.

"While local animal control authorities may have assured Caton Companies that ending feedings will not harm the cats, my decades of experience in community cat management lead me to strongly disagree," Holton wrote. "These cats have come to rely on regular feedings, and many know little else. Without this support, they will struggle to sustain themselves through hunting and scavenging."

However, Caton Companies CEO Diane Caton told Holton that the company is "in contact with Prince William County Animal Control, and any further efforts to address the cat population at Westgate will be coordinated through them."

Holton urged Caton Companies to allow Purrty Pawz to relocate the cats if feeding on site is no longer an option. According to Holton, feral cats often remain in their territory rather than seeking new food sources, which presents a risk of malnourishment and illness.

Purrty Pawz Rescue says Westgate Apartments is not the only site it works at. The rescue shared in a Facebook post that it feeds and traps cats every day and has cats awaiting spay/neuters and adoption. The nonprofit's goal is to address cat homelessness by keeping these pets out of shelters.